Our attempts at weight loss....

NEW GOAL - LOSE 36 POUNDS IN 365 DAYS

Its always something!!

R/W 3.6m in 51 min. But the shin splints in the lower legs! they killed me today. Why, why after 1 year of running I still get these shin splints. Absolutely horrible. Came back and iced and stretched but am dreading running again on thursday. 4m Walk tomorrow, Dec goal is to build upto 8 mile LSD.

I love this season, the cold air, the lights, the warm clothes, the hot food and drinks. But I hate the fact that I have to be on the lookout for things which make me slip on the diet track. Today someone left a box of chocolates in the office. Designer chocolates, the ones with swirls of pink and white on them, 170 cal apiece. And all that I had read and written about in the past one month flew out of the window! Ate TWO of those!! But atleast I am feeling guilty for eating two , previously I would eat 3 and wonder why i hadnt taken a fourth! To salvage I had zucchini for dinner. Surprise, even my finicky 7yo ate it up.

So its started, the next 29 days I will be facing temptations everywhere. After the 2nd chocolate I have decided that I dont particularly care for that taste- it felt chalky, so I dont think I will be succumbing to its lure again. Yeah, I can say that today, but get a box in front of me when I am stressing out over some point and see me hog the whole thing.

Later on I did read the nutrition label on the box and it broke every rule I had mentioned yesterday- more than 5 ingrediants, with unfamiliar, unpronounceable names, not belonging in the outside periphery of the store and my grandma would absolutely not think that it is edible food- she would put them on the shelf as decoration!

Now if only I can remember all this the next time!

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Finished the book. Its a good book, he goes over all the types of food available and it gets a bit technical , however I liked the last 1/3rd of the book in which he has suggestions on how to have a healthy approach to food and eating. He has quoted Wansink(Mindless Eating) and I liked both their suggestions.
Its basically all the points which we are aware of but dont take into consideration in actual life.

- Eat food which your grandmother or great grandmother would recognise as food. That automatically takes out all the packaged chips, yogurts, meats, flavored drinks, sodas etc, which means less sodium and less high fructose corn syrup(HFCS) which is considered to be the main culprit in making one fat because apparently it creates a craving for more sugar laden and high calorie foods.

- Avoid foods with more than 5 ingrediants, unfamiliar or unpronounceable names or again HFCS- so again all those above foods are out.

- Shop the periphery of the grocery store and if possible stay out of it and instead go to the farmers market.

- Eat mostly plants esp the leaves.

- Eat meals, eat at the table and not on the dashboard

- Eat slowly

- Cook, and if u can, plant a garden

There are other , very valid points but I am starting with these as they seem slightly more easy to follow. However, believe me when I say that it is very difficult to find foods with less than 5 ingrediants on their list. And HCFS is everywhere!! Take the healthiest bread in the store and see.
I cook but its mostly meat/fish/lentils. Green veggies maybe once in 2 weeks, I used to more before but lately have stopped due to some reason, so have to get back in to that habit again.
I would love to have a veggie garden if I could have a gardener with it, the idea of growing veggies is lovely but actually toiling in the garden- not yet, maybe when the kids are a bit more grown.

Overall, the book is definately worth a read, if you are interested in re-learning about food. Maybe I will pick up The Omnivores Dilemma again- I had dropped it because it was really detailed, with lots of information.

Rest day today, 4 miles tomorrow. Had stopped running last week because of pain in the right calf, will try again tomorrow.

Nov21-Nov30

No loss again, however, no gain either after having those two big slices of pie.
A bit disappointed, could be due to anything; I didnt run as much, maybe I am not as good with the logging of food intake, maybe it will show up as negative next month. So only 2 pound loss for November 2008, instead of the goal of 3. Thats OK, I will take it.

Goals for Dec 1-Dec 10:
- R/W 5 days a week.
- Try again with the free weights, hadnt started because in the back of mind is the fact that when I do start weight lifting, I might gain some weight in 4-6 weeks due to increase in muscle mass etc; I know, weak argument, so get back to it.
- Add a fruit a day; in the last one month have had only 2 pears and 1 banana- in the whole one month!!! So goal is one fruit a day- pear/banana/grapes/apples- I dont like apples.

This is harder than I thought.

Apple Pie...

...the first of this season, 360 calories of pure goodness, with 1 spoon of vanilla icecream, no guilt, pure satisfaction, no desire to stuff myself.

Had walked this morning for an hour which burnt approx 300 calories. Will go again tomorrow for a 60-90 min walk, hopefully in preparation of another piece, but this time of pumpkin pie!!

Life is good:)

Food and Books

I love both and realised that just as I cant pass any chocolatey, gooey, creamy stuff, I cant pass up any magazine and just as I eat big portion sizes of the healthy food, I overdose on books.

Went to the library and they had an announcement of being closed for Thanksgiving. To me that is a signal of book starvation coming up, so I brought back 25-30 books, 15 for my 7yo so she cant complain of not having anything to read, rest for me. At this time I have 3 books on food and diet-'The Omnivores Dilemma','In defense of food' both by M.Pollan and 'Fit to live'by Pamela Peeke. I didnt know where to start and so I have started all three, keep forgetting what I am reading, keep reading the same stuff, get frustrated, throw them on the side and hit the pantry.

Talking of behaviours which trigger over-eating, for me a good book has to be accompanied by some food. As a teenager, my favorite past-time was to get lost in an Enid Blyton with a stack of sandwiches next to me. My mother would wonder how a whole loaf of bread would disappear by the time she came back from her evening walk!
Nowadays being able to read for even 15 min straight is a luxury, there is always someone whose need is more pressing, and as I get older, Ok, I am not that old, but still it takes me more time to assimilate material now than before.

Walked more , ran some, 3miles in 45 min. Nice sunnny morning, Right calf still hurting off and on so taking it easy.

Today on MSN, they have an article of the fitness of the OBamas- how they wake up early to fit exercise in their schedules. Good for them, and if they can do it, we can too- yes , we can!! Her arms are great tho. Free weights from today!!

Addition, subtraction and weight loss

Was teaching my 7yo some addition and to emphasise the point said "2+2 is always going to be = to 4, whatever you do."

Then the next thought was 'except in weight loss.'

Why ? , because it takes subtracting 7000 calories to lose 2 pounds but only 300 measly xtra calories on a rest day to put it all back on my petite frame.

Anyway, today had to take my 14yo for soccer game to a community 45 min away so had no time in the morning to finish my LSD. Out there its a place I'd never been to before so I decided to walk around looking at the houses etc. Its a relatively new community, each house in the range of 2-3million, with large lawns and landscaping around. The whole community has a loop of pavement running around it, which one kind elderly couple told me was about 4.5-5miles. So I started off, thinking I would just walk the loop in maybe 1h20min max. The loop turned out to be so hilly, with curves going up and down every few steps that it took me much longer. But the view was lovely- the houses, birds, golf course, the sunny cold morning, I thoroughly enjoyed it tho it took me almost 1h40min and I missed the first half of the game.

I will maybe run tomorrow, since today was the walk day.

Try and focus on the calories again, was so hungry when I came back that loaded on the bread with cheese omelette. Now the kids want to go to The Cheesecake Factory tonite to celebrate I dont know what and their Dad seems to be in an expansive mood so he said 'yes' which means I will be one expanded person soon!

Celebrating too soon..

So what did I do today?

I had a Daphne's vegetarian Combo Plate for a late lunch.
Damage done : 918 calories!!!
2/3 of my daily intake.
Problem was, I had already had another 300 cal just while waiting to get to the place. From 2pm to 2.30pm , when we had to pick up the 14yo to take her with us, I had some peanuts, and oreo cakester, 3 m&ms and that is approx 300 cal. Add the morning oatmeal and I am done for the day at 5.30 pm. So for the rest of the evening I can only have tea or water.

Why, why do I overeat on the rest days??. I have noticed that so many times. I think I will start walking everyday, maybe just 20 min on the rest days to remind myself of my challenge.

Well, the 2 pd loss was good while it lasted.

Soccer tournament tomorrow, so am running the taxi service again, so will have to plan when to do the LSD-6 miles, maybe while shes playing the 2nd game?

Nov11 to Nov20

and I have lost 2 pounds,two pounds!! Cant believe it, know that this could be simply water weight,BUT, I am 2 pounds lighter today. Much better than being 2 pounds heavier.

So how did this happen, because there definatly wasnt a change in the first 10 days.
What did I do better:
--I am more regular with logging the daily intake on fitday.com
--I have walked/run approx. 45-50 min 5 days a week.

Other than that I do not think I have done any thing major. Daily calorie intake has been 1500-1600, the one thing I have done consiously is to not eat out of the house, so I wonder how it will play out after our Friday lunch at Daphne's.
I log in the daily food intake in the morning itself so I know what I will be having for each meal and snack ,and how much. That way if I have anything out of the ordinary, I can factor that into the calorie budget and stop eating once I reach 1500 calories.

Previously whenever I started a weight loss program, I would only do those actions which I thought I could maintain for life. So I never counted calories, or went for long walks, thinking that I wouldnt be able to maintain it forever. That thought is still at the back of my mind, however, now the idea is to first lose the weight and then worry about maintainance. And if I do it healthily, it shouldnt be difficult to maintain. Exercise 1 hour a day is a must as it is, and counting calories is a way to teach myself about the correct portion sizes.

Goals for Nov 21-Nov 30:

-Walk/Run 5days a week, 60 min minimum, esp during Thanksgiving break.

-Try and get 100%of the nutrients in a day- this might be more of a long-term thing, my daily nutrition lacks in a few vitamins etc, so I will work on them one by one.
This session I will work on the Calcium- try to get 100%calcium everyday.

2 pounds gone...WOW!!!

Walking in the woods..

...well, not in the woods, but it felt like it. Its a tree lined street down which I walked today, 4mile round trip. And the trees have changed colors- brilliant fiery orange, lemon yellow, dark green, shades of maroon- an artists palette. I used to admire flowers but now have transfered my loyalties to trees. And the lawns are covered with the fallen leaves, all crunchy under the feet. Its like the set of a movie. I think I took longer today because slowed down to look at some of them- not that I mind, some walks should be just for pleasure.

Last year at this time my long walks were 2-2.5miles, nowadays 3 miles is a short workout!

Today went to the library for M.Pollans book- In Defense of Food, had to put that on hold, instead got The Omnivores Dilemma by the same author. The reviews are good, tho I guess I will just skip over the technical parts, not in a mood to read any heavy stuff. OTOH, decided to read some good books- to that end got Beloved by Toni Morrison, its been some time since I read any thought provoking literature, its been all candy floss magazines for too long. As I am getting more choosy about what I put in my body, so it is for my mind.

Thanksgiving Break coming up- 9 whole days with my kids at home, and along with kids come 3 regular meals, umpteen snacks, leftovers which I have to finish, candy, pumpkin pie, the couch and movies and popcorn!! So the plan is to do my workout in the morning while they are still in bed, 4miles in the morning and I am set for the day. And I have to start being more mindful of there eating too- they have developed a liking for taco bell bean burritos recently, have to wean them off before they end up like me.

Was reading today- the average american woman is 5feet 4 inches, 157 pounds. This is the first time in my life that I am above average- 5'3", 160 pds ;)
Hope to be below average soon!!

Random thoughts

Went for R/W 3.8m in 56 min. Have diagnosed the cause of the pain behind right knee- its because I did all those sessions of downhills and uphills a week ago. Was feeling OK when started but had a tight sensation in the right leg, heaviness, couldnt take a proper stride. Carried on for sometime and felt Ok by the time reached home. Lay down to do hamstring strtches and the right one is so tight and painful.
So within the next month I have to find somebody to do a gait analysis on me.

Diet is going Ok, log in everyday on fitday. That site is good, it gives the daily requirement, the calorie balance, the nutrition etc. But I dont agree with some of the calorie counts for the foods so try and match with the package counts.

I have noticed that running suppresses my appetite to a certain extent. So doing the session in the afternoon helps, I eat slightly less at the evening meal and the warm bath after helps me sleep better. Yesterday was rest day and I ate much more - just snacking and bits and pieces here and there.

I was surfing and came across this book- In Defense of Food by M. Pollan or Pollack. It has some good reviews on Amazon so I might get it to read over Thanksgiving Break.

...Which I am dreading because of the FOOD involved! Either one cooks at home or there is so much pressure to eat if you go anywhere else. I know the holidays come once a year but starting with the halloween candy thru Thanksgiving, X'mas, NewYears, its 4-5 solid months of eating. Doesnt help that my DH's b'day, our anniversary and my birthday are in Jan/Feb. So am hoping that the regular logging will hold me in check this time.

Havent done any free weights, tho do some yoga every couple of days and that keeps me limber. Might take the first week of Dec either complete rest from running or cut back to half of what am doing now. Need to give some rest to these old bones and tendons and ligaments etc.

Weigh-in in 2 days, lets see if there is any progress.

Little aches and pains...

...which I hope dont turn into major activity stopping aches and pains.

Woke up at 5AM, had my tea and morning snack, woke up the DH who is himself nursing his own little aches and pains, in the knees and foot, and who now cant run but has to do a measly walk with me!

Started at 6.11 AM, beautiful weather, pinkish glow to the sky in the horizon, 60*, perfect.

But could not run. Attempted it at 4 different times, each time, pain in the lateral part of left knee, as if dry bone rubbibg against something, and feeling of something loose in the right knee. So felt very dejected, went over the past few workouts in my mind, I was Ok till my last workout on thursday which was a R/W but I had started feeling something wrong in the right knee then. Maybe its just my shoes which need to be changed since I have used them for atleas a year. I was planning on buying them over the winter break , so as to start with new shoes in 2009, but I guess I will have to get them now.

Came back home and did some knee strengthenening exercises, specifically for runners knee- tighten the muscles in the front of the leg 10-15 times, or raise the tight leg off the ground 5-10 times. I have had this problem before and the exercises helped then, have to get back into the habit of doing these after each run, sorry, walk, for now.

Reading an old issue of Runner's World, and they say black tea has more health giving properties- preventing cancer/heart ds etc than black tea with milk, the milk negates the healthy properties. My knee-jerk reaction was: I will drink only black tea from now even tho it tastes yuck to me. The next thought was: what is the use of living even 2 years extra if I spend the next 30 drinking that medicine tasting brew? In other words why should I spoil my taste 3 times a day for 30 years to have 2extra years and in todays economy who knows if I will be able to afford it?

So, drink tea with milk, eat more chocolate and keep walking, run if I can.

2 weeks done...

...of this challenge,- nothing lost, everything gained.

Have been walking everyday, did R/W on wed , missed yest and today as soon as started running, within half a min had this uncomfortable feeling in the right calf, back of the knee. And also at the top of the left knee. Usually if I continue running, it goes away in a few min, but today it kept feeling as if something was loose inthe knee joint. So walked the whole way, might try the scheduled 5 mile tomorrow, or not, depending on how I feel.

The eating is a whole another story. Calculated on fitday.com: my basic metabolic rate needs 1700 cal every day, so to lose weight , I should be eating only 1400 cal every day, which is the most difficult thing to do.

The calories info on fitday does not match with the package info, so I try to put in the calorie no. as I see on the package. But I never realised I was eating so much. For example, in my eyes as long as the piece of bread is whole wheat , its Ok. Nope, one slice of whole wheat has atleast 100-120 cal depending on the brand, and fitday puts it in as 78 cal. So I have to double check everything and it gets a tiny bit tedious, esp for a person who doesnt like to get into the details of the matter.

My downfall is rice tho, one cup is such a meager serving, and I am not in the habit of measuring yet, so I just load it on- 200 cal per cup!! And lentils, supposedly very healthy, no doubt, a one cup serving in 333 cal. So if I eat both together, which is what I do mostly,- I can finish a whole days calorie goal in one sitting.

So I am not doing so good with the 'diet' part. And I was going to stop blogging. Then I thought that if nothing else, atleast I am trying. Tho the last time I 'tried' to lose weight, I gained 10 pounds. Anyway, if it takes even 2 months for this to sink in, like the marathon goal, atleast I will lose something in the end. At this time I will be happy even with a 12 pound loss at the end of the year.

So carry on eating and burning and logging.

I never lose...

...weight , that is. Anything else , of course. But these pounds are mine and mine alone.

Weight today, lost nothing,nada, zero, zip, zilch. Dissapointed, ?..., no, in the back of mind, just know that this will be one slow journey, that is, if I move. For a moment felt like giving this up, whats the use, lets have a tangible goal, accopmlish something, but then, if not now, when. I do need to take care of my health, have borderline high blood pressure, just the xtra weight on the joints not good over the long term, love sweets so might end up with diabetes if dont control myself now, there is something called Metabolic syndrome X- a combination of some factors which I might be having which can cause chronic disease later on- i just dont want to be on a bunch of pills which I wont remember to take what with my failing memory.
So onward and forward I go !!

On a better note, was doing the Wii-fit and my calculated age is 35 years instead of the 40, so thats good.
I cant make my weight go down faster but there are some things I can try and control, so for the next 10 days (Nov11-Nov20):
- do the scheduled workout sessions, 7/10 days.
- start the program of strength training again.
- eat everything, yes, including the pizza, but according to the portion sizes. Find and note down the reasonable portions for some common foods.

LSD 3.63m

Went for LSD yest, was supposed to be 4-5miles, but I did only 3.63, it started raining so I cut it short. BUT, i finished this distance in 51 min, this route which involves a long downhill and one of the big bad hills, this route which i previously used to finsh in 55-60 min. So that felt good, or maybe it was the rain making me go faster. Tho, I loved running in the rain, it wasnt pelting, just a light drizzle with warm temps of 60*, made for a nice sweet run.
And I did run for 5-10 min at a time.

On the weight loss front, tomorrow is weigh-in for me, tho I am not anticipating any loss, one pound??? how do u know its not water weight or if I have a salty chinese dinner, there goes any one measly pound that I lose.

I have to go for a walk today to complete the 5 scheduled workouts of the week. Have started doing yoga in the mornings again, or else feel stiff as a board. Walk down the stairs as if on cement legs and then as I do each pose, manage to loosen upa bit. Havent started with free weights yet, maybe next week.

Travel, EyeCamp, Life after marathon

I have been traveling and have been the busiest. NB, that's a good idea. I did donate while I was at the camp and was thinking of different ways of collecting money throughout the year. Usually, people donate some and the maternal uncle contributes the rest. Why don't we find a way, we can discuss the specifics later, so that both of us contribute atleast half? We know the money is going for a noble cause and I have all the details.

Life after marathon - am visiting relatives and friends - here the common goal for everybody is to achieve a size zero. People who I thought couldn't lose more weight have lost more, though the emphasis is more on looks than on health. Huge motivation here to lose weight.

Want to create a separate weight loss blog and yes NB, add a weight counter, but am just not getting the time. Right now am stealing some time from what I should be doing.

Keep writing NB, good job ( I hope I can say that for your weight loss too ;))

Motivation, exercise, diet

GB attended an eye camp last week where free eye operations were done for the needy.

I had a brilliant idea, as all my ideas are : I will put in a dollar for every workout I do towards a donation for the eye-camp. I dont know the specifics, how much is needed for one eye operation, but this is a selfish thing just to make me be more regular-with my workouts. A workout will be any session atleast 45 min in length or 45 min in a day if I have time constraints. If I workout 5 days a week, in 50 weeks I can collect $250. So that is the motivation...

...to exercise. Today was a rest day but I did some Wii-fit. I never actually tried it before and today I played this soccer simulating game in which one has to do headers- I never got past 300 points and today I got 506- 555 is the highest which GB and my 7yo and my dad- all Wii-fit experts, got. So that felt nice. As usual, if I am getting good at it, the first thought is 'I'll do this everyday', but I know I can never be regular. And that brings us to ...

the DIET. In which I am failing, miserably. OK, I know, its been only 7 days, and I have hogged huge amounts of chocolate in two of those, but still, dont feel as if anything is happening. Not that I would know, how does one 'know' if the loss is one pound of fat in 10 days. When I was preparing for the marathon, atleast I felt tired or sore or nervous or I had to do something, take action, move to prepare. But here the less i do the better. The less I eat, the more I lose. I have logged on my calories for this week, average is 1500, aim is 1400. Believe me , this is the most boring thing I have done, and thats what I keep telling myself- do it, lose the pounds, only because you find it a boring but difficult thing to do. If it were so easy, we would be models of fitness, and no-one would care about universal health coverage.

I love running...

especially when its on a gently downgrading road, so gentle that one comes to know its downward inclined only after seeing the elevation chart on mapmyrun.

R/W 3.11miles in 45 min, last 12 min continuous running- loverly!! Included the bigbad hill so am ok with the time.

The eating left a lot to be desired. As usual was oK till lunch time, had my tea etc and then the daily dose of chocolate from my halloween stash. The only thing was that didnt stop with that one, actually had a craving for M&ms but got a reeses PBcup, then a small milky way, believe it or not, had 400 cal worth of chocolate till 14yo had pity on me and gave me her small funsize bag of m&ms which stopped the binge.

Lesson learnt: either dont eat even a small piece of the trigger food- in this case chocolate, or else eat exactly what you are craving for. Easier said than done.

Felt so yucky after that went for the run and tried harder to run instead of just walk. Made only okra for dinner which even the DH appreciated because he was off from work and had been eating mindlessly since morning. Only the kids didnt like it too much , however they finished it after giving me their daily dose of grumbling and complaining. Thankless ...

Weekend coming up, dreading it eatingwise, at home the whole day, me and my pantry and kitchen and food, lets see what we come up with.

Mindfulness

Walked today 3 miles in 47 min. Its so cold today and dark at 5 pm. Just want to burrow under my comforter and sleep.

Came home, and ate my slice of toast with an egg which was lunch followed by a cup of tea. Barely an hour later , in walks in my DH, filling the cold house with the smell of delicious hot pizza. U would think that atleast this early in my challenge, and esp now since I am logging everyday, I would have more will- power to say 'no' and save some to have later. Nope, I ate my one slice and after 15 min another. It was the yummiest pizza I have ever had.

The logic was/is: I wasnt hungry, but this was hot fresh pizza. If I had saved it for later , it would become cold and stale. OTOH, I might not have eaten it then and in the process saved some calories. But this was eaten not mindlessly, I knew exactly what I was doing, hence only 2 slices, otherwise I can manage 4 at a time and it satisfied me to the extent that I dont need dinner or any more candy.

I finished the book today adn it has some nice sensible strategies for mindful eating which become mindless habits with time so one loses weight slowly and painlessly. I came to know that I am a meal stuffer- a person who eats fast, starts first and finishes the meal last and stuffs themselves at meal-times and also a snack grazer- who eats many snacks during the day out of boredom or nervousness. I have done that countless times- standing in the pantry, eating sweet alternating with salty and thinking about various aspects of my life.

Continue logging daily calories at fitday.com, I log in once in the morning everything I think I will be eating that day and then modify it at night depending on what I had. Lets see what shows up on the scale on Nov 10.

Running and math

Did R3/W1 4miles in 55 min, aim is to be able to do R5/W1 for the half marathon in May.
Had a downward inline of 200 ft which I faced while coming back home. And the aim is also to be able to run up this hill without taking breaks. Passed the high school cross-country team effortlessly climbing up this hill, envy them so much... but u no wot? I never ran like that, ever. Its always been hard labor for me, maybe thats why I gave up each time. But this time, hopefully will keep at it.

Now lets do the math. For a person like me, the daily calorie requirement for a sedantary person is approx 1700 cal- got this from the www.fitday.com - its a good site to follow. I call myself sedantary because the majority of my day is spent sitting- on the office chair or the couch.

Anyway, and 3500 calories make a pound. To lose a pound in 10 days, I have to use 350 calories everyday. I can do that by eating 1700 minus 350 cal or do 350 calorie worth of exercise.

Eating less is not viable, I never realised that the serving size of rice is half a cup and not one, and that even one cup of cooked rice is much less than the heap I eat each time. Oh, 'ate' because from today everything that goes in this body will be measured - atleast for this month, just to learn the correct portion sizes. Tho I think the old body is going to rebel at the sight of those meager servings and therefore I will go with one cup instead of half-For Now only.

So the next option isto move more. 5 days a week I should be able to get rid of 350 cal by r/w for atleast 45 min, will have to think for the other 2 days, which are supposed to be my rest days.

The run was good today. Tho I am missing GB.

Mindless Eating : Brian Wansink

Have read half of this book and the first reaction is'Duh!! I knew that!!' To which anyone can say 'then why didnt you follow it?'

Nicely written book, very simple to understand, we have read most of the facts in the form of snippets in various magzines, things like eating in a larger dish makes you eat more, eating with friends, using flat glasses for drinks, portion sizes, eating while watching t.v. or a movie, our own perception of how much and what we eat, I would say its definately worth a read. So far, not a whisper of counting calories. I liked the part I am reading now which talks about our habits with regards to food. I will make a note of each behaviour and analyze it with regards to my own habits.

My habit is to enter the house thru the kitchen and start stuffing myself. Its worse during the winter mnths because the house is so cold and I just want to feel warm - there is a study somewhere that states that cold makes us eat more. So today , instead of going to the pantry I put on the water for tea and heated up some leftovers. The changed into my warmest, fleeciest clothes, had lunch, did keep in mind the portion sizes, and felt better.

I am keeping a calorie log on fitday.com- I had used that site some years ago and as usual given up after a few attempts. Today so far my calorie count is 1450, that is after I have had the 2 reeses PB cups I wanted to- not eaten mindlessly- I tasted each bite and the 2nd one wasnt as satisfying as the first. Now a cup of tea, some t.v, maybe some weights , some more reading and then lalaland.

Running rewards

Went for my r/w session. 3 miles in 44 min. Its a gradual incline of about 80 ft over 1.5miles which I walked up because was having some shin pain, then turned and ran down the incline.

The reason for this post- to commit to memory the scene I saw when I turned around. It was the time just before dusk, the whole sky was pink-rose pink- bright pink, not baby pink but a resounding, singing pink. There are some days when just before sunset the last rays fan out from the horizon, today those rays were pink and golden and the sky above them a dark blue. Oh,to be a poet and have the words to describe that sky. The only thing I said on the run back home, and I did run all the way back, was Thankyou!!Just to be able to appreciate that scene. Hope I dont forget this ever.

Dieting, or not. Psycho analysis.

So I am going to lose the 36 pounds, in 365 days, but without dieting or resorting to pills, surgery, etc etc.

No diets. Could never follow them beyond the 2nd day. And as am growing older, give up by lunch time because the constant counting, holding back or any comment by my near and dear ones puts me off.

I have always been on the chubby side, and all the weight was on the tummy. When I look at my childhood pictures, I see a normal sized person except with a bigger than normal tummy. Tried to do crunches and abwork starting 8-9th grade and never lost that collection, maybe it was loose ab muscles or something. Gained some during college years, lost when got into a graduate program, kept it off for 5 years by being paranoid about my exercise and trying to miss dinner. I say 'try' because I would eat dinner like amounts at tea-time. But do not recall a single day when I felt as if I was starving. There was a phase when I tried fasting a day of the week, even on those days I managed to eat something or the other during the day. Was at my leanest meanest best at the time of marriage-105 pds. Still felt fat. Told myself on Feb 2nd-wedding day- enjoy this weight because u never might be this slim again..., and I never have been. Two kids and 17 years later, 60 pounds more.

Tried all the diet plans in these last few years. These plans work, make no mistake, that can be seen if one goes on the forums, but not for me.

South Beach diet : Tried it twice, gave up in 2-3 days. Just cannot follow a rigid program even tho this is the least restrictive diet. I am a vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy, but most of the recipes call for some form of chicken, and actually being a vegetarian does not neccessarily mean one eats more veggies. It can also mean that I just abstain for the chicken and turkey and replace it with floury products-lots of bread and other processed foods.

Weightwatchers: Yes, Tamara, I did try this, lasted 3 months, and that too mainly because I frequented the WW forums. Those are helpful. And I did lose about 7 pounds in that much time, but it seemed too slow then and I finally lost paience with counting the points and trying to figure out the points in various foods. Also in my case the portion sizes are so huge that counting the points becomes tricky. I still try to follow their 8HGs which are actually quite sensible.

No to certain foods: Went thru a phase where tried to giveup all white foods- white flour, white sugar, white milk. Lasted maybe one day, had a severe headache by the end of it because if I gave up all these foods which are a staple of my regular diet, what would I eat?? How many eggs can a person eat in one day?? And honestly I dont like fruits too much.

So , what I need to do is to overhaul my whole way of eating. Starting from the portion sizes to the mindless eating to the stress eating to the love of sweets, cleaning everything off my plate, eating loads as soon as I enter the house, eating instead of taking a moment to identify my hunger/thirst/energy level/boredom. No giving up any foods, try to eat right, to be proactive about losing weight instead of hoping it will come off at the end of each 10 day session.

Have started reading a book 'Mindless Eating'- more about it soon

Month1 , Days 1 to 10

Beginning of a new goal: to lose 36 in 365 days. Will I be able to do it?

The math is easy, lose a pound every 10 days, but the body doesnt work like that. Cravings, plateaus, loss of steam, days when I just give it all up, days when I cannot or will not exercise, memories of failing before, memories of gaining instead of losing.

But hey, whats a challenge if its not difficult? Marathon?, anyone can do it! Losing weight, now, thats difficult. Keeping it off , unthinkable at this time.

So, the plan.
Every 10 days I will examine one food related behaviour , try to work thru it, why I do it, when and how does it occur, how can I overcome it. Also I will try to build a new habit to replace the old. Thru it all continue with the running because am planning to run a half-M in May 2008.

What an amazing day to start this plan, one day after halloween!! But this morning my kids actually got rid of most of it. A local dentist had the wonderful idea of paying $2 for all unopened candy which they would send to the troops in Iraq. The kids ,and also their moms, would eat less candy, get less dental disease and the soldiers would appreciate it. Hey, I appreciate it.

My daughters gave me 6 reeses peanut butter cups and a milky way-large bar - I have to make this last atleast thru November. One part of me wants to finish it all today and the other saner part tells me to savor it one day at a time. Since its the first day of my challenge, I listen to sane Ms NB. Theres still 4 hours before bedtime tho'.

Last day of 2008 goal

And we had already acheived it. Love, just love remembering that day. Conversation is peppered with'but I am a marathon finisher!!!!'

Today did a r/w with DH of 5 miles. The old body is still not back to functioning. Actually felt a bit faint after a hill which had done numerous times before. In my minds eye I am running smoothly, rhythmically, covering miles and miles with little effort. The reality is the harsh gasps of breath I take in after each minute of effort.

But all in good time. Now onward and forward to goal for 2009- to lose 36 by oct 31 2009. Will have to keep repeating this to myself everyday, every hour because this is one goal attempted hundreds of times and then left unfinished. Will keep writing about it till get sick of the complaints and actually do something about it.

Easy day

Went to the park for an hour, walked for 15 min and the rest 40 just played with my 7yo around the playstructure. It had a 6 foot rock climbing wall, which I did a couple of times, even tho the footholds were made for size 2 shoes and not size 8 worn by a 160 pounder person. Rock climbing would be a good thing to pursue, I used my upper body and abs, am sure tomorrow will hurt in the arms, havent used these muscles in a long time.

There is a rockclimbing wall 5 miles from our house and when GB returns, maybe we can do some sessions there- will have to keep this in mind.

All day long keep thinking about my goal of -36 in 365. Have got a book from the library on mindless eating, want to walk and run, but no time in the morning as its so dark and as it is I am supposed to take it easy for 26 days after a marathon- not that I am having any trouble with that.

November 1 2008 will start off -36 in 365. Will have GB put in the weight loss counter and then GO For It!!

Nov2008-Nov2009 Challenge and goals

Thought loong and hard. Finally came to a decision.

365 days to lose 36 pounds. Learn to eat right, train for the two half marathons for the exercise. Lifestyle changes.

Break it up into 3 pounds a month, a pound every 10 days.

The only problem with this is, that usually I forget that I am trying to 'lose weight' by the second evening, so that when the weigh-in day rolls around, I havent lost an oz. Then I tell myself, Lose 2 pounds in the next 10 days, which is still doable. Does not happen due to whatever reason and I am left with trying to lose 3 pounds in 10 days by which time I give up. Anyway, lets give it one more shot.

The basics:

I am 40 this year, have some hypothyroidism which I am in denial about, so not on meds, cholesterol etc OK except for the good HDL which is low, BMI of 29.3, calculated this morning on 'msn health guide' so this puts me at the edge of being obese. Love to eat, anything and everything tho' am a vegetarian. Downfall is sweets, packaged, easy to open processed foods. And the worst time of the day when I eat mindlessly is as soon as I step into the house after picking up the kids. They get healthy snacks of milk and cereal/peaches and plums, while I raid the pantry for cookies and chips.

Dont mind the exercise part, aim to exercise 5-6 days a week tho' putting in the requisite 90 min to lose weight might become difficult. Am very friendly with the couch esp after work, zone out in front of the T.V frequently. Love to read, therefore have all the basic knowledge to lose wieight and be healthy, but the 'doing' part is difficult for me.

Why do I want to lose weight? Would like to look good for once, tho realise that weight is only one part of looking good. Would like to be healthy for old age, want to be independant at whatever ripe old age I reach, and so far all the healthy 80 year olds I have seen are at the lower end of the BMI. This past year of doing somewhat regular exercise has shown me that the days I move are the days I feel good. No ankle pains or knee pains or feeling bloated. And I know that losing some of the flab will help with the running times.

Nowadays the first step to losing weight is to go into the psychological details as to WHY one gained it in the first place. Thats too intense for me right now, so I will start with baby steps.
And GB will be with me thru'out- this is a challenge for both of us. Tho' it'll be harder for her-shes on vacation, all the better for me to lose fast;)

DAys 1-10:

Focus on the afternoon snacking. I will have cereal/leftovers. No food which I have to open a packet for. So plan to cook extra at dinnertime.
Drink water first thing as I enter the house. Make tea, eat the food with the kids and then focus on the chores etc.
R/W according to schedule, i.e. T/Th/Sat: R/W, M/W/Sun: XT-weights/yoga, F: off

Walking

Walked 3.5m/60min, same area as yesterday. Just very relaxed, tried to fit in some fast intervals , but mainly just looking around the houses, fall colors, horses and other runners and walkers.

I enjoyed today, no pressure.

Start off again

Had to take my 14yo for soccer at 7AM. Normally I would curse everyone around and sullenly take her for the game. Today , like the marathoner I am, I got ready with her and did a 42min/2.7m R/W session in the neighbourhood. Heard a rooster after a long time. And saw some beautiful horses. Nice start to a morning, nice start back into the running business.

Was talking to one of the moms who runs fast and long, and yes, I did just mention that I ran a marathon, how could I pass this oppurtunity to brag. She looked at me with her eyes wide 'you ran a marathon?!?!' So I backed up a bit and said I walked more than I ran and the pace was slow. I dont know how to put this but she seemed rather sad that she cant do that distance because she injured herself some time ago.

That is the one thing I dont understand, the marathon is a doable distance,( OK maybe those are my post marathon endorphins speaking,) but as long as you keep your speed slow. My DH says the same thing , that he wouldnt be able to manage the distance. I think one can do the 26.2 as long as one does it slowly and gradually and humbly . If you go in rushing at 12mph and then hurt yourself, whats the fun.

Yeah, I am ready for the second one, I have already forgotton the agony of the first!!

When I look back on that day, the parts I remember the most are walking alongside the oceon, the waves, the grandson walking with his granny, the husband urging his wife on to take some more steps, the TNT coach helping this first time marathoner, GB and her observations, her incredulity at actually doing this marathon.

Now that we are done, its been a week, I didnt want to sit back and let this feeling of having a goal each year move on, so went over a couple of ideas.
No, not mountain climbing, tho I did go over a couple of sites, its too expensive and time consuming.

Actually the family has barred me from even thinking of another marathon because of the time factor. So I have to limit myself to half-marathons or run faster. To that end, am planning to do a half in May and another in Nov. 2009- the Big Sur Half-marathon in Montrey. Please note it is NOT the Big Sur International marathon which is the most scenic and should be done once atleast in a lifetime but which has such elevation that I think I will cover the distance atleast once, in a car!

Had been thinking of a duathlon, but havent been on a bike since high school, dont have one at present. GB is on a sabbatical and therefore out of the state for atleast a couple of months so we cant decide with the bikes and training yet. I think I will do the basic research about bikes, the training required etc till the end of the year and then think about a bike tour or duathlon later.

Had actually toyed with the idea of a goal to lose 36 pounds in 365 days. But gave that one up, have wasted too many years with that one goal of losing weight, and fell flat on my face. Its a very bad feeling to know that at the end of 365 days I have nothing to show for my efforts- or actually too much to show!! Sometimes I feel I can do 10 marathons in a year and that would still be easier than losing weight. But as I am writing this, the thought comes that if it is so hard, thats a challenge, and so shouldnt I try it. Maybe one last try to get rid of this flab.

I dont know. So things are still a bit fluid. However, I have a rough plan about the running/walking. Nov/Dec 2008 I will try and get upto R5/W1, start training for the MAy half-M in jan 2009, with an aim of getting my time down to 3h instead of 3h21min. And then a repeat training for NOv 2009 half-M starting in june2009.

Some more thoughts

Thanks, Tamara and Harvey for the wishes. We appreciate those.

Just a few more thoughts. I keep going over the M-day. And I keep bringing it up in every conversation I have with the family, to the extent that my DH says he would do a marathon just so I could stop bragging. But see, by then I would run another one, so I would still be ahead of him,ha!

Was thinking, even tho there were more hills than stated, they didnt slow us down at all. Our average pace thruout the marathon was around 15.30minmile, and the slowest was the last one 15.92minmile. We never went beyond 16 min at any time. And now looking back the hills didnt seem that diffcult. I think we really went down the hills hard because now the quads are hurting more than the hamstrings.

I just want to savor this feeling as long as I can, already some tiny thought will come in mind to stop me- hey that day is done, its gone, what next? And I bring it back to M-day, enjoy for atleast this week. By next week I should decide on my next year goal and start planning for it.

Do you have any ideas??

Goal Accomplished!!!

Goal to complete in 365 days- marathon- run/walk/crawl/complete/finish a marathon, distance of 26.2miles- WE DID IT!!!!

NIke Women's Marathon 2008- 26.2 miles- 6hr51min- were not the fastest but neither the lastest.

Went to SF on Oct 18th2008, checked in in the hotel, GB had booked a lovely room, then walked down 5 blocks, (since the hotel is on California and Powell, up on 3 hills from Geary street), to Union square to attend the EXPO. This is our first marathon, our first experience, so everything was perfect for us. We picked up our bags, got the jamba juice smoothies, tested the oxygen shots which were basically scented oxygen delivered thru the nasal drips, didnt get the manicure because of the long lines, and why have the acetone smelling manicure station next to the oxygen station??

Had decided to go to the room only after 6pm so as not to spoil the rhythm. Went to WEstfield mall, caught the movie'Burn after reading' which I liked even tho had some pretty gross humor, just because was so relaxed. Ate some pasta and gelato, some hot chocolate and coffee and then took the tram up Powell street to our hotel.

By 7 pm was so sleepy, I think I was sleeping by 7.30 pm and GB said she too went off by 8pm. Had the best 8 hours of sleep in my life. For the first time a hotel bed was so comfy, or maybe it was my perception.

Woke up at 4.30 AM, and slowly started getting ready. GB was the one making the tea and keeping things in order while I just listened to the news on CNN. Basically she was doing what I do when DH and I travel with the kids!! Ate a banana, drank some tea, lots of water.

Walked out of the hotel at 620 AM, there were many others like us. Walked down to union square, very slowly so as not to hurt the knees at the last minute. There was a huge crowd, thats an understatement, 20,000 is HUGE!! We went to use a restroom in one of the nearby hotels. Everyone seemed nervous and excited, were stretching and taking pictures, yakking and yelling. Amazing! SO many women of all shapes and sizes. Lots of TNT participants.

The race started at 7 AM exactly and we were off, got our foot on the mat 7 min later. The first 11 miles, till the half-M seperated from the marathoners seemed like a party.Women in tutus of rainbow colors, or knee length socks or those funny headbands, with i=pods and without, fat and thin, short and tall, think of a category and it was there. Nothing seemed out of place. As the half-M could finish in the alloted 7 hours, there were these groups of ladies yakking and screaming and laughing all the way. As soon as we seperated from them the mood got all serious, and there was greater distance between the participants. So I kept trying to motivate myself and GB to go faster than the one before us.

Miles 1-3 were great, we were at 14minmile pace, and in a crowd it is difficult to monitor oneself, so maybe we went faster than intended. Walkers faster than us, runners slower than us, TNT supporters lining the streets, general supporters for heir families. Then came the hills. Later one of the participants was saying they had more hills this time. Anyway they seemed more and earlier than the 5 we had counted on the course map. We walked up all the hills. Later on we ran alongside the Pacific oceon- that was the highlight for me- to run alongside one of the 7 oceons of the world, the beaches all nice and sandy instead of rocky, surfer dudes in black in the white waves. For a moment I wanted to have a house along the beach, to be able to come for a walk along the beach everyday!

God was really kind to us in terms of the weather, thru'out no major winds, no sun at all, low 50's so that at the end I had to wear my jacket. Every thing was so perfect - GB said she will never do a marathon again simply because these conditions just cant been replicated. It was as if nothing could go wrong.Amazing.

Miles 4-7 again had some hills, passed thru a community with the cutest houses imaginable, houses with character, each house different from the rest, smaller than the Mcmansions in the suburbs. Small lawns, people standing outside waving us on. Got orange slices at this point, so refreshing.

Made a restroom stop at 9 mile, which was a mistake because had to stand in line for 8-10 min, and didnt really have to go. Could have gone at mile 12 after the half marathoners had left us and there were no lines, but who knew? That was another good thing, that was the only potty break we had to take.

Miles 13 thru 14 was nice and easy, GB had been complaining of a new ankle pain, she had already taken a motrin at mile 8 and now we saw a first aid station where we asked the person to give us a bandage to wrap the ankle. He instead wanted GB to sit and have her ankle examined. No way man!! we were already lagging by 7 min and GB felt that she didnt need medical help for her ankle just yet.

Miles 15-19 was a long stretch along side the Pacific going towards Lake Merced. We had to finish 18.75 miles before 5 hours, that was the cutoff, mentioned maybe once in the information about the marathon, but in small print , which everyone misses. So now the volunteers urged us to hurry and cross the 18.75 mark soon, which we did with 15 min to spare, thankfully.

The route around Lake Merced was much maligned in the marathon reviews at marathonguide.com but we didnt find it as bad. However GB was losing steam here, and I kept telling everyone around about'mind over matter' and how 'the body covers the first 20 miles but the mind covers the last 6.2.' GB kept urging me to go on faster if my speed allowed it but I was actually quite spent too. I changed over from R2/W2 to 40steps running and 80 walking. I had to concentrate on the counting instead of the pains and aches so that helped.

Met a lady from Michigan and we talked about AnnArbor and Troy for 2 min, then got the Giaredelli chocolates at mile 23, GB was a bit behind and I was worried thet we would not be able to make up the lost 7 min. So I asked one of the TNT volunteers if I would get the finishers necklace even if we passes the 6.5hr mark. She said"Sure, you paid for it, by God, they better give it to you!!" That was a big relief so I sat on the sidewalk and stretched my aching thigh and hip muscles. GB caught on, I told her the good news, that we could finish in 7 hours, which turned out to be not such a good idea afterall, because then we both slowed down.

Miles 24 to 26.2 again were along the water and it was lovely. I think I slowed down considerably just to admire the view. Of all the pictures I want to have in my minds camera this has to be in the top few.

Now almost every one was walking at maybe 3.5mph, some were shuffling and the shufflers slowly finished 2 min earlier. We ran the last 0.2miles- had to do that!
Got our blue Tiffany box from the firefighters, who looked sullen and uncomfortable-sorry guys, we didnt finish sooner adn u had to wait 7 hours for us- long day!

Got our T-shirt, it was cold and I was wearing my jkt, GB wore her T-shirt on her running one, they had run out of the mylar blankets, didnt get a massage as that area was full, ate half a bagel and some dry granola-no milk, the coaches wouldnt take us to union square so we got a regular bus. Overheard a conversation between two young girls, a first time half-M and the other who came since 2005 just for the Tiffany necklace. The experienced one said that the course had been changed and had more hills this time.

Reached our hotel , changed and took the train back home. Aching body, headaches, hungry and thirsty by turns, finished 3 bottles of water. Came home, family glad to see me back, went of to sleep after telling the 7yo a story-apparently mama tells the best stories.

Recounted the marathon experience to my husband-gratifying to note that he considers the distance to be too much, and was wondering why we stopped to take pictures. Hey, how could we not take pictures of this ?? Jst hope they come out good now.

Legs hurting the most today-the quads, and very thirsty, and very happy. Grateful to God for letting this be a wonderful experience, thanks to GB to help me acheive one of my lifes dreams, which became a goal later on, thanks to my parents for providing regular encouragement and nourishment, thanks to my husband for letting me take the weekend off.
There, that was my Oscar/Grammy speech.

So, the two sisters completed a marathon.
What next??
Maybe a mountain, tho I am scared of heights, well , that is why it would be something worth trying.
I can hear GB screaming blue murder when she reads this!!!

1 day left

Last day tomorrow, then M-day.!!

I am really apprehensive, nervous, almost nauseous, not quite, but almost.

Had the same feelings before the 23 miler we did. Keep telling myself, we have covered 23 .5 miles before, this is just 3 more. Dont know what I am scared of,
no-one knows me,
for the first time in my long life I am going anywhere without being responsible for my little kids,
I have not done this route before, what if I need something, all my long distances have been done within 5 miles of home.
This is almost like an adventure for me(dont laugh!!), I know not as in climbimg mountains, but just going to SF with my sister, never done it before.

As far as the marathon, have to stop looking back at what we did do and did not do and just go with the flow on sunday. If things have to go right, they will, and if not then not. The hand having writ , moves on, All my tears, etc etc etc. Ok, I am rambling, I am nervous, and I need to hide somewhere. No overthinking this one, take a deep breath and take the forst step, i.e. pack my bag.

Good luck to GB and NB!! May monday find you smiling and in the best of spirits!!

3 days left.

Did not do any workouts since the last LSD. Kept feeling yucky, heavy feeling in the legs. GB with lingering backache since Sunday, kept reading weather forecast of high winds, maybe rain in SF on sunday, just felt down.

This AM made myself get up and do atleast a half hour session on the t-mill. Dont like that anymore, too boring, running in place. OTOH, its dark outside and I am not a brave person. So had to settle on the t-mill in front of the T.V, watching the news repeatedly, same exuberant, over-happy bubbly newscasters, looking so fresh at 5 AM, as if they have come to party.

Did 32 min, ? distance ,1.6-1.7 miles, R2/W1, slow. But felt better after. Did some stretches. Maybe after the marathon will start a new program of 3 week day R/W on t-mill with 2weekend day R/W outside. Thats if come out of the marathon in one piece.

7 days left.

10 mile LSD, did 9.15miles in 132min, 14.5minmile, added on to complete 9.7miles total of 150min.

Started at 7 AM to simulate M-day conditions, man!it was cold. So have to remember to take gloves with us, plus a hat and jacket. I dont think a garbage bag will suffice. R2/W2, did a couple of hills, total session had an elevation of 150 feet, wind velocity of 15mph, so have an inkling of the M-day conditions.

Ate a slice of bread and PBJ before the start, another at the end of 5.15miles, quarter of a luna bar, lots of water. One restroom stop of 3 min.

Ok session. Today ,for the first time since starting this whole marathon business, had something akin to what could be called a 'runners high'. I sang out loud for atleast 30 min after reaching home, even the withering looks from my 14yo couldnt stop me! Would like to replicate the feeling off and on.

Today I was satisfied with our training.
The first 2-3 miles are always difficult,
I have to walk up the hills or else am breathless at the top and that makes me slower,
my feet will hurt starting at 8-9 miles,
regular sips of water and food every 10-15min makes things smoother,
it will be cold and windy and then the sun will come out,
I just have to cover the distance.

Hopefully a recovery walk tomorrow, 3 sessions of 3 miles each in the next week and then its THE M-DAY !!!!

8 days

And I am in a whiny mood.

Did go for a short R/W yesterday. In the evening. Its getting cooler, but there were gusts of wind. Am getting very nervous, any little motion I do , I worry that it will hurt me. For 2 days my left elbow has been hurting, how is that related to running, I dont know, but why cant I bend it without pain? And my 7yo has strict instructions not to jump around me, what if she breaks a bone-mine, not hers.

This mornig woke up stiff as a board, so did some mild stretches, 5 min and felt human again. Keep discussing with GB, we are balanced at the edge, with regards to the time factor. One extra portapotty break, and we might miss the whole 'finished a marathon' thing.

8 miles this saturday. We are planning to go at 7 AM, marathon start time, and treat this as a semi dress rehearsal for the M-day.

9 days left!

Its scary, especially since now I can check out the M-day's weather forecast under the 'ten-day forecast'. High 59*,low54*, winds. Well, they havent put up the wind velocity yet for those days but today it is 16-20mph till noon, which can affect our effort. Because we havent practised in windy conditions.

Not that it matters, because we did do atleast 2 hills each LSD , and I am still getting nervous about the big bad hills in SF. Whose great idea was it to do this particular marathon??

Anyway, tapering is not going too well. I stopped working out entirely these last 2 weeks and then realised, taper or not, I have to move atleast 35-45 min a day. So went for a r/w yesterday, 15minmile but was just shuffling along. I need company some days more than others and GB was being lazy yest AM. Today we will try and fit in a session in the PM.

Reading up a lot on tapering and how to run the actual marathon. Its all in the mind. When I look at the course map and tell myself-hey, this is easy, I have done those hills before, I can do this- I feel better. Then I go and read all those blogs of people who say they were slow and it was hard for them and they were puking and hurting , but actually they finish in 4-5 hours, thats when the self-doubt comes back jumping in. I just want to finish within 6.50hours. thats all. I have no other goals. Just to complete. Just not to have to be swept into a cleaning up van. That should be a doable goal.

14 days left, LSD 10miles

LSd 10.15miles, 2h40min, 15.3minmile, small hill .

Started at 6 Am, lovely day, breezy, cloudy, little traffic. We went to a part of the area which GB hadnt seen before. Its a gradual uphill for 1-2 miles and from the top most point one can see the valley. Looked more beautiful today because of the early morning sun. Thanks to this running business we have seen the most beautiful parts of our area at the best time of the day.

I felt thruout that we did a lot of effort but the time still came out to be 15minmile. After the gradual incline it was all downhill with some rolling hills inbetween.

Overall good LSD, not very tired at the end, still had enough in us to do another 10 miles.

Came home and DH had been telling a cousin of his about our marathon and the long distances we cover. The response from the other end was'Oh, then she must have lost a lot of weight!!' No , baby, no, no weight loss, nada, zilch, zip. I just thank my stars I didnt gain any- yet!

18 days to go! Reflections.

Walked more than ran, 4.1 miles in 69 min.

Felt really tired after the LSD , stiff, aches and pains. Today realised should have done those recovery sessions because they help recover faster.

Looking forward to the marathon now, each day find something new, but also looking back to see all those things I should have done but didnt. Not because I was hurting, or busy, just plain laziness.

- the recovery walks are important.
- goal had been to do atleast 5 sessions a week; 2 of running, 2 of XT, and a LSD. Most months just managed 4/5 and this last month only 3/5.
- should have increased the distance being covered earlier on- did this in july/august, maybe too late, or maybe we first had to build it up to the shorter distance.
- should have done more hills, some speed sessions, more stretching.
- should have lost some weight instead of only trying to.
- should have....

Lots of shoulds, but note that if we had done all of the above, we would have been perfect, and perfection is boring. OK, I know I will keep all the above in mind the next time, for I am hoping there will be more marathons or atleast half marathons after this. It was a one year goal, there was bound to be some time during which we would let things slide.

And as for weight loss, I think I gave up the day I read somewhere that one does not lose weight during marathon preparation. So maybe that can be the next one year goal with running in the background as the main form of exercise. And a few 5Ks, half marathons, maybe another marathon thrown in for the interest factor!yeah right!!

21 days to M-day, Longest LSD, 23 mile!!

Sweet!!, 23 miles in 6h15min (ofcourse I am taking out all the breaks!).

I had been so nervous of this session, our last longest LSD, after this tapering begins and we had no time to do a >20mile LSD even if we wanted.

Woke up at 3.15Am, started from GB's house at 4.04AM, 60*,slight breeze, thank the administration for the well-lit streets (however, wonder why all the storefronts have to be so brightly lit at 4 in the morning, when they are closed, all that wasted electricity, they can have a couple of lighted signs or so, but it seemed like x'mas in the shopping areas)

The first session was 3h20 min, out of which approx 8 min was a water/bathroom break. So we finished 12.1 miles at a 16minmile pace, which I felt was good. We didnt huff and puff too much, talked a lot, did R2/W2 and were comfortable for the most part. Around mile 6, both of us had some foot soreness, some hip tightness, some back pain, but it was mostly OK. Did our big bad hill at mile 7, another at mile 10.

Reached home,took a break of 17min,I did take a ibuprofen tablet just to prevent the soreness from turning into pain.

Started again, same circle but in the opposite direction, this time slightly slower. Took more effort to keep the same pace, took some water breaks, 4 in total, each lasting 3-5min, went down the big bad hill and that seemed tougher today when we were so tired. At mile 20 the sun was up- 9-10Am, 85*, very warm and now we were drinking the gatorade and water every 10 min. The sun actually slowed us quite a bit because we stopped running after the 20th mile.

Reached home -total session was 7 hours. Sometimes I feel I should include that as total time but we were not moving during that time. I know we will be taking those rest breaks during the actual marathon too - we will Have to because those really rejuvenated us till the next rest break, but I just want to feel good about my pace for today.

Things which helped us:
1. we used gatorade and water every 15-20 min, took 2 luna bars, had a slice of bread with PBJ, so were eating regularly this time instead of every 1 hour.
2. Starting so early so we had 3 hours of no-sun time with temps of 60-70*.
3. Using that Ibuprofen after the first session-I dont know if it is the done thing or not, but I am feeling better after this session than most- maybe it is just psychological.
4. R2/W2, this is just right for us. We will use this for the M-day.

I am sure there are more and I will mention them as I remember.

So good job done. The rest of the 3 miles will be completed with the help of crowd cheer and support.

Tapering officially starts from tomorrow. Recovery r/w.

23 days to M-day

R2/W1 yesterday, R3/W2 today. Todays session seemed slightly better in terms of doing it, even tho the average minmile came out to be the same.

A one minute walking break did not seem adequate, it takes 30 sec for us to catch our breath after running and another 30 to bring up the speed of walking. 2min walk break was good today. I think we will follow the 2R/2W routine during the marathon.( seems rather late in the day to be trying out new walking schedules)

I have developed some left sided hip bone pain. Its not in the hip as such but in the pelvic bone. I think I have had it for a few years but now it is intensified. Does not prevent me from running but hurts when I get up from a chair. Treid icing and using a local gel , hope doesnt affect my borderline times!

And my feet- the bottoms have started hurting- burning pain. I walk like an old, old lady, all stiff and bent and after 2 min it gets better. Ice them, massage and stretches, as long as they do their duty, its oK.

Rest tomorrow, LSd 20-26 miles Sat, depending on available time, mood, determination, motivation, desire, etc, etc , etc.

Countdown begins-25days left!!

Well, I had wanted to do the countdown from 30 days but missed that. Now I am getting into a nervous state of mind- only 25 days for M-day!!

Today walked 4.1m in 66 min-16minmile, but this was interspersed with some intervals of running too.

On marathon day we have to cross the 18.5mile mark by 5 hours, which comes out to be a 16.5minmile, which I think we can do for that distance, but to make up we would have to run the rest of the distance in 11.38minmile. Which we havent done even on our good days, leave alone in the last 6miles of the marathon. So again we are left with the average pacing of 14.5minmile to complete in 6.5hours.

Which might be doable, who knows on that day and time. As per GB the last few miles of the marathon course are downgrading so we might be able to pick up speed at the end. Which I highly doubt as we have not practiced that distance and I know from past experience - the last 2 miles of the half-M - I was dragging myself at 16-17minmile pace, all hot and tired and ready to give up, which I would have, if GB had not been there to buck me up.

And I cant even say the crowd enthusiasm will carry us thru because those 6-7 miles are thru the Lake Merced area which everyone says is the most desolate and has no aid stations.

So now I am stressing about all the details, worrying more-doing less, and it should be the opposite. take one day at a time.

25 days left!!!

Regular run

Was supposed to do a 10 mile LSd today.

GB's back gave out. She is out of the program for a little while her back heals. I was still determined to do my part today. Woke up at 4 AM so could finish by 6.30Am and be at home with the kids when the DH went to work. 4 AM was pretty dark, and there were no sounds of traffic today, so hopped on the t-mill to try and finish off an hour at home and go out at 5 AM when all the runners come out. The plan sounded good.

However, I was getting on the t-mill after 3 months, and I simply did not like it, even tho I had some great programs to watch- like the financial crisis on CNN!! Maybe that was it- I felt so tired and slow, kept telling myself to keep at it till 5 AM, and did too but as 5 AM came by, I was feeling hot and fatigued. So called it a day. Kept telling myself that I would regret it, and maybe in the cold morning daylight I do, after all, I was all dressed up to run and just needed to walk out of the door, but 'didnt feel like it'. Had one of my daughters said it 'I didnt do something 'cos I didnt feel like it' she would have got an earful from me. But who can argue with a middle aged cranky woman - not even me. I guess I was really feeling down,- my poor Dh got a whole big tirade before he left for work - must be wondering if I got off the wrong side of the bed!!

Will try again to do the 10 miles, maybe in the week if have a day off, next weekend is the last scheduled LSD - 22-26miles. I am not sure if GB will be upto it, but I am going to plot the course in the next couple of days and treat it like a dress rehearsal for the real thing.

Setback

I dropped a dime, looked at it and let it go, didn't want to dirty my hands picking things up from the carpet, not a concious decision -maybe was just too lazy to bend....approx 2 hrs later, at exactly the same spot, dropped my cell phone - bent to pick it up and regretted it - felt something in my back, got up, the pain was excruciating, unbearable....

Was at the workplace waiting on somebody to respond to a message, the pain was unbearable, couldn't sit, kept standing, took a pain killer, wrapped up ice in a paper towel and put it on my back inside the jeans...finally decided to go home - took 3 more ibuprofen, put ice packs...didn't help too much....by the evening was slightly better...have taken 2 more pain killers and am lying on the bed with the laptop...

My thoughts as I was driving home...I was a little sad and realised how people feel when they have been preparing hard and cant run the marathon due to some injury...but i overcame that within a couple of mins - ha, wasn't my dream - and i'll have all the fun without putting in all the effort, will go with NB to SF and cheer her on :)

I have had a lower back disc problem since 2 years and doctors have advised against running due to it being high impact..was thinking about this a couple of weeks back about how my back no longer hurt when I climbed hills the way it did earlier - thought that maybe it was getting stronger...but I think I ripped something today - muscle tear or something - I don't know how much time it will take to get better....even if it is a couple of weeks, i'll miss the long run...at this time I am thinking that I will attempt the marathon even if I have to drop out in the middle but i dont know how things will be tomorrow - better or worse...let's see

Walk 4.1m

Walked 4.1m in 65 min, 15.8minmile.

Walked smoothly, a few sessions of faster walking but both of us were not in a mood to push it. So we talked and walked and it was relaxing to be able to talk to each other instead of huffing and puffing and not being able to hear each other.

Had to do shorter distance because DH had to leave by 6.20 Am. So we started at 5.05 AM and finished by 6.10AM.Beautiful weather, breezy, we saw a group of runners - approx. six of them running in tandem, just so beautiful to look at, all fit and with good posture and form - may be it was the morning light!

Yesterday I was going over our first few blog posts and read, ' LSD this weekend:3miles'. GB and I had a good laugh over that. Yup, there was a time when a regular workout was no more than 2 miles and a LSD was 3 miles, after which we hogged the couch for the rest of the day!! We have come very far, but are still not there yet. Oct 19th 2008 will decide where we stand.

Weekly run

R4/W2, 4.6miles in 67-68min, 14.5minmile. 59*. Breezy.

GB wanted to try out R4/W2 combo so we did that today. It was difficult. I think there was only one session which I completed without stopping to walk for a few seconds. And the last 10 min I was definately slower, did more walking than running because it includes the cooldown.

Aim is to do this distance at 13.5min mile before the M-day. I think we will get there eventually.

GB and I were discussing the fact that we have not done a single 20mile LSD, the J.G. plan we are following had recommended 20, 23 and 26 miles before the M. We still have 4 weeks left, so if we do 20 mi this weekend, 10 the next, 24 after that, our taper will be only 2 weeks instead of 3 weeks. GB has researched and the 3 week taper is necessary. But when did we follow the rules? Now the fight is to do the two 20 mile runs versus a 3 week taper.
Have to look into this more.

LSD 13.3 miles

in 204min, 15.3minmile, better, much better than last week.

GB wanted to do 13miles instead of the scheduled 10 , and follow a course simulating the san francisco course. So we did 3 hills, at 6miles, 7miles and then at 11 miles. Our time is 4 min slower than our half-m in May, but this course included the 3 bad hills.

Also our pace is better at 15.3minmile this week, compared to 17.5minmile last week. Today, the weather was beautiful. We started at 4.36 AM, 60 degrees, took 3 short water breaks. Our first mile was actually slow at 17minmile, but we caught on later and completed 8miles in less than 2 hours. Followed the R3/W2 pattern and GB wanted to do the R4/W2, but I think for the 26miler!! next week we will do R2/W2. And this time we ran till the last half mile which we walked as part of cooldown.

Overall satisfied. Had some soreness and tiredness after, which might have been relieved if I had done some stretching. But I had to make a trip to San fransisco with DH and 14yo to meet his college buddy. So that drive to and fro SF, which took total of 6 hours, and wandering around in that big mall in Union Square didnt help much.

I am stiff now. Will do some strtching for a couple of days to help.While in SF tried to drive along the course of the marathon but couldnt due to time constraints. But the drive in SF itself took my breath away. They say 'no cable car hills' but I didnt see any other type there! If I have to do even one of those hills I am dead! GB did compare the hills on the course with our neighbourhood hills and one of them is equivalent to our big bad hill . But nope, not like the ones in the city.

DAys moving faster now. Somedays feel I will be able to do this, somedays not. Lets see. The only thing I am worried about is that each running plan recommends doing atleast one 20 miler, we have not done a single one so far. I dont know if physically we will be able to make a jump from 15 miles max to 26 or even 24 miles next LSD. Or even if we should attempt that.

Will try and go for a recovery walk today, rest monday, R/W 4.6m on T/W/TH, rest F, LSD of 10 miles on Sat.

Recovery run

R3/W2 for half the session, 4.1m, 14.3minmile again, slow today because still feeling tired after sunday. But not too bad.The weather was amazing today-55degrees-ideal.

Was discussing with GB, if have to complete atleast 18.5 miles in 5 hours, which is approx a 16.2minmile, we just might be able to do it. The last few times our times on the LSD have been a bit slow - approx 17minmile, but thats OK - it was too hot or something. I hope theres no 'something' factor on M-day. I hope the fact that ones pace during the actual event is faster than training pace is true for us. Hope sustains life and our training!

I saw a video of a lady who completed the Nike womens marathon 2007 in 5h45min. She looked so relaxed thruout - playing and hugging her kids,running smoothly. I told GB if my kids came to cheer me, I would probably be screaming at them to leave me alone.

The elusive 20 OR

The height of stupidity OR
Warm/Hot weather running OR
What beginning runners should absolutely not do OR
The day we died!!!

Any of the above could be a post heading.

Sat. is the day I usually do my LSD , one, to get it out of the way, and secondly if perchance I miss it, I can still make it up on Sunday.

This saturday was very busy with 2 soccer games and the mega-event of the 13yo turning into a 14yo. So, no thoughts of LSD.

Sunday AM:
Gb and I had decided to start at 3 AM so as to finish by 8-9 AM, before it got too hot. Very sensible idea one day before. Not so sensible at 2 AM when the alarm woke me up. Pushed the snooze button, closed eyes for a minute, next opened them at 530 AM. Called GB, yelled at her for missing the LSD, decided it was too late now, and made the highly idiotic plan(with 20/20 hindsight) of running in the evening from 6PM to 11 PM - it would be sunny for only 2 hours, and we could run on the main roads which are busy till 11 pm.

Started at 557pm. The sun was burning hot. The first mile took us over 2 major hills so the at the end of the second, GB showed all signs of heat distress and I could barely hear her complaints because felt so faint.

Any other intelligent person would have turned back , called it a day and tried again in a week. Did I say I belong to that group of people?

Thankfully we reached a shaded portion of the road, and had access to a water fountain, which was like manna from the heavens. After which GB got very activated and decided to run again, even tho I ,like the big sister I am , kept telling her to slow down. She kept on, we came to a downhill and ran a good portion of it, and I think that was the only portion we ran, the rest was walking at a fast pace.

There is nothing else to say. Night fell, we kept walking, I tried to sing to pass the time, throat got dry, made GB sing, and she started wailing. Took a short 5 min break at her apartment, after which the stupidity continued for another 5 miles. WHy, you ask? because GB did not want to do this distance again. Our logic! How can one have done 20 miles if the distance covered was only 10?? We could have finished 10 miles then and done 20 miles next weekend!

We were dead by the time we finished at 1030pm. Reached her apartment and were treated like the big babies we were feeling by our parents -cold water, cold towels, toast and eggs , even tho we were feeling nauseous.

I went home, took a tylenol( motrin was in the car, that might have done more good for me)drank some water, put on the ice pack. Couldnt sleep for 2 hours and when I did , it was uncomfortable.

No pain anywhere the next day, just generalised soreness and fatigue.

But when I look back - we were so silly, stupid!!
GB tells me its written in J.G's book'Marathon' that if the temps are above 85 degrees to forget about running. And we - we ran in 100 degrees. I had read it too, but I saw so many runners in the afternoon that I thought we would be ok too. Did not factor in the lack of running experience and the excessive heat insulation(fat)we carry.

On a better note , we did do some hills and GB has found after extensive research, that those are almost equivalent to the hills we will face in SF on Oct 19th. I just hope the temps are better.

So :
Men learn from their own mistakes,
The wise learn from the mistakes made by others,
And fools never learn.

So, be wise, never run in higher than 80 degree weather, even if it is a LSD scheduled for a marathon training goal.

Taking 2 days off. 10 miles this weekend.
So we are still there. Longest LSD is 15-18 miles. Not good. Have to cover atleast 24miles atleast once before the marathon. Getting panicky now.

Short workout

Went alone today, GB too tired because she had done the r/w session yesterday too. And I had missed it because just could not get myself up.

Then realised I was as stiff and tired at 630AM as I would have been at 430AM, so those 2 extra hours of sleep didnt help much.

Today went for a shorter session of 2.1miles, tried to run faster but then the walk intervals got too slow, so it averaged out to 13.6minmile, also I bent over to tie my shoe once, and also stopped to let a car pass at the stop sign- that should be another 30 seconds- what am I? an Olympic athlete? talking in seconds, but u no wot- each 30 sec matter when one has to move faster than the sweepers at the marathon!

I have to really thank GB today. I was going over my log and realised -- I had been doing all my workout sessions on the t-mill at the same pace everyday with no intention of trying to go faster. She got me started on running outside, which does help-I would have not tried it on my own.And she also pushed me to try and run and walk faster. I might have eventually done it, but it is harder to work thru the mind on ones own. And she also increased the distance of the weekly sessions, or else I would have just done 3 miles in45 min and beenhappy about it. So heres to my marathon partner -may we finish our marathon before the allotted time ,and in one piece, andbe able to function as human beings later, and do a 100 more marathons in our life!!

Beep Beep

So the beep beep sounded irritating? Well, just about an hr earlier when you heard it for the first time, when you were not exhausted with the running, when you had not done an R3/W2 several times, you found it to be musical, remember NB?

Bought a timex ironman with interval timers. The freestyle I had bought earlier did not have interval timing and though I had found a way to do interval timing on that, it was, let's say, not very efficient.

Just a few days ago, NB and I were discussing that we didnt have any cool gadgets nor felt the need for those - well, we should have got this toy earlier. As NB mentioned today that she always wanted to focus on interval running - I would like to say that I wanted to focus on how to get started on running. Running intervals was the least of my concerns at that time. And the best interval I would have run was R1/W10 or just W ;)

Even though the weather was cool, there was no breeze. Didnt enjoy the R3/W2. Was tired after the run.

One step forward, one step backward

R3/W2 , 4.6m in 67 min. One extra minute.Which I had thought to cut off this week. 14.5minmile pace. Wanted to be 14minmile by this weekend. Still might be if try really hard on thursday.

GB bought some new watch which can be set at intervals. She set it for R3/W2 and I think we had been already doing the R3 but taking longer breaks than the W2. So now we have a routine to follow. But this seemed a bit difficult today, we were out of breath by the last 3 min. And its very irritating to hear that beep-beep to push us to start running, I am sure I will start having nightmares about that soon. As long as it pushes us to try harder, I am all for it.
It might take us another few days to sort out our comfortable routine.Tho comfort is still walking at a snails pace.

Walk tomorrow, R/W on thurs,LSD 23 miles on Sat!!

August review, Sept goals

So did 100 miles in August. WOW!! MAinly due to GB. About the end of july, early august, she woke up and decided we needed to have longer sessions, done outside and that we need to really stop whining and start running. I am glad she did that because I was on cruise control here, did only 54-55 miles in july.

So we picked up the pace in these last 4 weeks and most of sessions are completed at less than 15minmile pace. Which is not great , but better than before for us. And we have covered the big bad hill twice in our LSD with no major damage to our timing.
Also our workout sessions have all been longer than 45 min, which is good too.

Goal for Sept is to cover this distance of 4.6miles in 60min, R/W, 2 days a week. Break it up into a minute improvement each week. Also to alternate it with a walk of approx 5 miles which might include a hill. And ofcourse the LSD on the weekends will include atleast 2 hills. This will mean starting earlier because I have to be done by 630AM, so start by 5AM. It is very dark and lonely and scary at that time...

Is this doable, I dont know. But we have to work harder this month, only 30 days ,and then in Oct the tapering starts. Also have to prepare for the trip to SanFrancisco! We are almost there!

Warm weather, pacing, speed, thoughts.

Sometimes one reads and doesnt register the meaning of the words. And I am not talking philosophy here.

We had bought Jeff Galloways book'Marathon' in Dec. and kept reading it off and on. Today I actually understood the meaning(I think!!) of the table with temps and how much each 5degrees brings down our speed. For each 5 degrees above 60degree F, speed drops by 30-40 sec. Which means that today our session of 14.6min mile at 72 degrees could have been at 13.6min mile.

Somewhere else I read that marathon training pace is always a min slower than marathon race pace, i.e. one can run the marathon at a min per mile faster than the LSD buoyed on by the enthusiasm of the crowd etc.

Keeping the above 2 factors in mind I actually might be able to run tha marathon at 12minmile. WOW!!

OK, I am just kidding. I didnt add the increase in speed if I lost 10 pounds by M-day.

No, all this is the result of getting too nervous about the looming M-Day date. ANd I dont know why I am feeling like this now, today was actually a good day and our speed on the shorter runs is increasing slowly.

Lets see, walk tomorrow.

LSD 9 miles

9 miles in 132 min, 14.6minmile.

Started at 4.44AM, still dark, no traffic, temp72degrees with a slight cool breeze. But I think it must have been warmer because I was sweating in no time.
Today had a strategy for once. Decided to R3min/W2min and it worked good for quite some time. Till we came to a big bad hill at 3 miles which we walked up, and then ran more than 10 min but it was all a slow down hill. Did the same route as GB last week, had another hill at 7 miles, which we again walked up. Finished the whole session by 7 AM and the sun wasnt even up today.

Today felt very tired at the end of it, dont know why, because I had hydrated well yesterday and had a good carbohydrate laden dinner. I guess these things happen. But satisfied.

Am dreading the 23 miles next weekend. That might bring me down. Have to psych myself for it, have 6 days to prepare for it.

Day 301 of Marathon Preparation

Actually had meant to write yesterday- day 300, but today is OK too.

301 days of pursuing a goal. 301 days of thinking, planning, agonising, giving up and then taking up again, wondering, writing about this one goal, and its not over yet. That decision will be made on October 19th 2008.

Yesterday was in a different mood, body and mind not wanting to push it. It was a walk only day for me but I had planned on doing fast walk intervals , but just could not do it. Not even the sight of GB running in front of me. So 3.58miles in 65 min. Slow, I know.Then came back and read a great man's thoughts--the gist of which was, that the person who follows their mind cant acheive much in life. That one has to control one's mind which tries to lure one down the easy path. Was too tired to do anything about my mind yesterday, barely cooked dinner and went off to sleep at 9 pm, right after Hilary Clinton gave her talk at the Democratic Convention- where does she get the energy, that fire , that enthusiasm, amazing! I am jealous.

This morning followed the same routine and told myself that I would be faster today, even if by 10 sec. And I guess I was- dont have any fancy gadgets, just my trusty cell phone to tell the time, I reached home at 56 min, and I am happy about that. Next week will try and shave off another min off this distance.

Walk tomorrow, rest, LSD 9 miles on Sat.

Magic mile

OK, so Jeff Galloway is a genius!

I was surfing the web yesterday, all running sites, and went back to the marathon training plans at his site. He has perfected a formula which calculates your projected marathon pace depending on your mile speed at the hardest effort. So one runs a mile at the fastest speed, without puking(his words), and multiply that time by 1.3 to get the marathon pace.

So this morning I ran a mile at my hardest pace- still came out to be 14minmile and so what do u think my marathon pace is?? a very slow 18.2minmile. Which means I will be finishing my marathon in 8 hours. Which means there is no need for me to go to San francisco this October or else they will hand me a broom and ask to sweep after the back of the pack!

So how is J.G a genius? because 18.2 was my pace at the last long distance of 18.6 miles I did. If I had known the formula before I could have just predicted my time for that session as more than 5 hours instead of thinking naively that I could cover 20 miles in 5 hours.

Of course when I did this mile, it was the first mile of the day, and what he is recommending is doing a mile warmup , followed by the magic mile, followed by easy run, so to include this in the shorter LSD. On top of this I had bad shin splints today, dont know why as I have been stretching off and on . Also GB was not there to push me to run a tad bit faster, or to try and walk at 4mph instead of 3.5mph. Not that the absence of any of those factors would have helped me run faster.

So this is where we stand, 50 days before the M-day.
Is there any way we can increase our pace at this point-- I dont know. But hope sustains life, and I am hopeful, or have my head stuck in sand - in denial.

And just for some information- to complete a marathon in 6.5 hours, my magic mile should be run in 11 min. Ha Ha ... ha ha!!

LSD 8miles, strategies, when GB runs!!!

So we did our LSD today, 8.2miles in 117 min, 14.2minmile, I cant go over this enough!

Started at 4.35 AM from my house, nce starry sky, breezy,felt good. Met with GB at the junction and GB was in the mood today to just rock it! She started off with running and walking alternating between the red lights. And she ran faster than normal and walked faster than normal, so that I was lagging behind, huffing and puffing.After 2 miles she wanted to try the r3min/w2min routine so we started that- it was better for me.

Then at 4 miles we reached our first bad hill- 200 ft ascent over half a mile. We walked up this hill and remembered a day approx 6 mnths ago when GB had literally died at the sight of this hill. Today we just walked till the top- it wasnt easy, but we didnt take any breaks and our pace was smooth thru out. Then came aabout a mile of gradual descent which we ran at a good pace. Went down the 2nd hill and after 5 min I turned back because today the DH is on call and I had to be home by 6.30 AM to pack his lunch.

Going back faced the 2nd hill and I again walked at a consistent speed. Finished with running till the house. I honestly thought I had done less than 8 miles today but I was satisfied because I had done 2 hills in these 8 miles . Kept trying to push myself during the last stretch just to get a lesser time.

Came home and after doing the breakfast/lunch stuff, sat with mapmyrun. And was so pleasantly surprised to see I had done 8.2 miles! I mapped it out 3 times and called GB to confirm, which she did. And in a good time. I think she covered more in the last bit to her house, she will log it in.

So I am satisfied today- now in the next 50 days to get the short runs down to a speed of 13.5minmile and the LSD to 14 minmile with hills. Can u believe it - only 50 days left?

Walk tomorrow, 4 miles, will try and include a hill.

Panic Mode!!!

No, it wasn't the meeting at 6 am, it was the constant state of panic I am in nowadays. There is a marathon in 59 days and I still cannot walk 15 miles without wanting to fall over and die!!! The long run last Saturday pushed the panic button. Before that the long runs had been easier (yes, because they were smaller!) and I was getting curious why people thought marathons were tough - last Saturday gave me the answer :(
I wasn't really giving the marathon much thought since it was farrr away, but now, since it's closer, completing it doesnt seem feasible. I have been talking about this continously with NB (not during the runs, I have stopped talking during the runs - we are not strolling in a park, we have a marathon to run :() and then hoping later that she doesnt get scared.
I am in a habit of working on things at the last moment, Yes - not a good habit, but I am really hoping it is not too late this time :(
I went for a run from monday to thursday this week (rest day tomorrow, though I think we shouldnt take it, but guess need to to prevent injuries), tried to control food intake and tried to do Wii Fit for atleast 45 mins everyday. Have to, have to, have to continue with this and slowly increase walking speed to be able to complete the mararthon in 6.5 hours which is slightly less than 15 min mile. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

R/W, Effort!

Did 4.1m in 57-58 min, a 14minmile. WOW! It all boils down to effort and mind over matter and a very motivated GB who made me run all the way and kept pushing even if I lagged behind and made me run even if she trailed behind.
It could also be due to the fact that she had a 6AM meeting to attend.

I simply couldnt believe my time, so I recalculated the distance and asked my husband twice that 4.58 AM to 5.55 AM is 57 min.

I know that 4 miles in 57 min is not great, and we should actually be able to repeat it 6 times now to complete a marathon, but atleast we came out of our comfort zone and did some huffing and puffing.

So, good job GB and NB , keep it up.

On a side note, came home and did some yoga stretches for 15 min and now feel as good as new.All set to start my day as mom,wife,worker bee, friend etc etc etc.

Walking for XT

Today walked 4.22m in 67 min , 15.8minmile, 2 hills.

GB is the major motivational force nowadays. Made me wake up at 4.30 AM for a 5AM start. Nice weather again, 59 degrees, walked the whole way and she insisted on wlking at a 4.0mph. Which we did thruout tho I could barely keep up. The hills slowed us down a bit.

Tomorrow planning a R/W 4 miles again, hoping 14-14.5minmile pace. Having a niggling low back pain on the left side and also the left knee seems loose, as if would give away. Hope its ok by the morning.

Love the AM workouts. Love the fact that am done for the day with regards to exercise by 6.30 AM. But my love is fickle- I forget it by the morning and change over my feelings- to the warm cozy bed. Then I cant seem to leave it till better sense prevails or GB calls.

Better today

R/W at 5 AM, 4.13m in 60 min.

GB went with me, she is the one who pushed us today, not even ready to take the walking breaks. I was still tired from the LSD this saturday, had spent half the day yesterday setting up a pingpong table- why cant the instructions be more clear- all that sitting and bending on the floor and lifting the heavy table.

GB ran almost the whole way, no complaints of tiredness at all, so I am proud of her.Even tho I am sure she too must be having the residual effects of that LSD.
Overall satisfied today with the whole workout- 14.5minmile. The goal is to be able to do atleast 13.5minmile on the short workout sessions and 14.5 min mile on the LSD. Next 2 weekends the LSD is only 8 and 9 miles, so I am looking forward to those.

The major help today was the weather- breezy and temp of 60 degrees, that really helped. On saturday it had been 72 degrees when we started and climbed upto 85 in 3-4 hours. Of course we cant change anything about the weather temps on marathon day, so grin and bear it.

Just how much conditions on marathon day matter- Deena Kastor had to pull out of the Olympic Womens Marathon with a foot problem- all those years of preparation -poof! I cant even imagine how she must be feeling.

Continue with the morning workouts, school starts tomorrow so it might be a tad bit difficult but life will be easier if I am able to do that.

LSD 18.5m Doubts

Did 18.5m in 5h45min on Sat.

Not a good experience, not even average. Started at 4.45 Am, had to take a restroom break because had started so early, it was very hot and I think we got tired sooner even tho we kept drinking the water. Took a 15 min break at GBs apt to drink water and get a snack. Then she did another 5 miles for a total of 15 and I did 18.64m

Not atall satisfied. Took too long-18minmile, and so tired at the end of it, hurting everywhere.
Very angry with myself. Nobody forced me to start this, and I dont even have to finish it- just put it down as that experience I wanted to have but gave up because it was too hard. Noone has a gun down my throat telling me to do a marathon. But if I want to do it, it has to be a full fledged effort.

Why miss workouts, why eat bad- anyone pushing that 2nd serving of rice down my gullet? Why not wake up at 5 AM to finish the workout because I know I wont be able to do it later. Why miss the XT workouts of yoga nad weights when I know I need a strong core to be able to run better?
Basically why act like an idiot? Who am I doing it for?? Just me. Its only me. So why not put in 100%, heck, even 90% will have me see the finish line.

Really angry today, would kick myself if I could. Lets see how long this frustration lasts. Made worse this morning when read some posts on the prevention site- walkers preparing for a november marathon and can do 10 miles at 13-14min mile. I cant even do a 5K at that pace.Hopping mad.Craazy mad. At me. Have to push myself now. Only 9 weeks left.